


GIRL POWER: a Talk Show for the Politically Active Woman

by sunkelles



Series: titaniumsansa's birthday-palooza 2018 [2]
Category: Brooklyn Nine-Nine (TV), One Day at a Time (TV 2017), Parks and Recreation
Genre: Feminism, Gen, Original Character(s), Original Nonbinary Character - Freeform, PRIME TIME, Politics, Talk Shows, Television Program
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-18
Updated: 2018-05-18
Packaged: 2019-05-07 03:29:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14662377
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunkelles/pseuds/sunkelles
Summary: In 2036 activist Elena Alvarez, Captain Amy Santiago, and democratic presidential nominee Leslie Knope are on the same episode of a talk show called GIRL POWER





	GIRL POWER: a Talk Show for the Politically Active Woman

**Author's Note:**

  * For [titaniumsansa](https://archiveofourown.org/users/titaniumsansa/gifts).



This program aired originally at 3:30 PM on August 3, 2036 on NBC.

 

The lights come on, illuminating a small stage with a studio audience. The backdrop is a cream color, the floor is a soft brown wood, and two bright navy arm chairs sit comfortably in the center of the stage. The gentle strumming of a guitar comes through the speakers. A flute joins in with the guitar, and then Helen Reddy’s voice joins them as she starts “I am woman hear me roar in numbers too great to ignore.”

The crowd cheers and Helen Reddy’s voice continues. Then, a white woman in her early forties walks onto the stage. She’s wearing a black pant suit and a bright pink tank top. Her blonde hair is pulled back into a messy ponytail. The crowd cheers even louder.

Helen Reddy sings, “I am woman” one final time, and then the music cuts off. The host laughs, and a grin spreads across her face.

“I will never get used to that entrance,” she says. The crowd cheers in response.

“We are women, hear us roar!” The cheering continues.

“On today’s episode we’ll be talking to an up and coming activist from Los Angeles, a newly promoted captain in the NYPD, and the newly chosen Democratic nominee for president of the United States of America.”

“It’s about time!” a voice calls out from the audience.

“That’s what we thought back in 2016,” the host says.

“This time she’ll win!” The same voice calls out. The host nods.

“We can hope at least. That’s what this show is about, right? Promoting women and their power? I’m Amanda Ashford and this is Girl Power.” She sits down in one of the navy arm chairs.

“First off, we have Elena Alvarez of Los Angeles, California.” Elena Alvarez walks on from stage right. Her hair is pulled into a messy bun and she’s wearing wide rimmed black glasses. She has on a bright red blazer, a white “truth has a liberal bias" t-shirt and a pair of blue jeans. Elena sits down in the other arm chair, and then waves to the camera.

“Hi everyone!”

“So,” Amanda asks, “who all do you have watching at home today?

“Just my mom… and my stepdad… and my abuelita… and my brother… and my partner, Syd. I guess that’s a lot of people, right?

“I think that you can’t use “just” when you’re talking about five people.” Elena nods.

“That makes sense.”

“So, Ms. Alvarez-“

“Please,” Elena says, smiling, “call me Elena. Ms. Alvarez is my mother. Not that being my mom is bad, but I just wanna be Elena, you know.” Amanda nods.

“So, _Elena_ , you seem to making a big splash in the American activism scene.” Elena grins, and makes a fist. She awkwardly strikes a “Rosie the Riveter” pose.

“I sure am trying.”

“You’re on the front lines of just about every issue that I can think of. LGBT rights, immigrants’ and refugees' rights, racial profiling, veterans’ affairs, better mental health services, Black Lives Matter? Is there any issue that you don’t have an opinion on?”

“No, not really. I try to be informed on everything that I can. I’ve made a name for myself and my organizations by advocating for what I think is right. And I have a loooottt of opinions about what I think is right.”

“You really do. The only person I know that might have more opinions than you is Leslie Knope who we'll be talking to later today." Elena’s eyes widen.

“You mean I’m sharing an episode with Leslie Knope? Democratic Presidential nominee Leslie Knope?

“You sure are. You didn’t see her backstage?”

“No,” Elena says, “I, um, I kind of hid in my dressing room. I was a little nervous.”

“Then you’ll have to try to talk to her after this. Ms. Knope is incredibly personable. She would love to talk to you.” Elena’s eyes widen again.

“That’s FANTASTIC!” She flails a little in her seat.

"Are we sharing with anyone else cool?" 

“Captain Amy Santiago from the NYPD.” Elena squeals.

“Captain Santiago and Commissioner Holt are making SUCH STRIDES to combat police brutality and racism in the police from within!” Amanda nods.

“That’s why we asked her to be on the show.”

“This is so cool, Amanda. I feel like I must be a disappointment compared to those ladies. Amy Santiago and Leslie Knope. Oh my god.”

“Ms. Alvarez, I promise, you’re not a disappointment. You’re doing so much good work in your own right. How do you stay informed on all of these issues?

“I listen to activists and other people that know more than me on every issue and I spend my free time trying to learn as much as possible.”

“Do you have any media suggestions for those of us who are new to the activist scene? Favorite twitter accounts? Good newspapers or magazines?”

“Of course! I have a few websites that I think do the best job of keeping up to date and a few of my favorite activists in every circle. I can give you the links so we can put it in the video.” Amanda nods.

“What about for our live viewers?”

“You mean on live television? Like we’re being broadcast _right now_?” Elena sounds terrified.

“No, not live television,” Amanda assures, “but television that occurs on an actual television set.” Elena laughs

“Oh wow! I didn’t know that anyone still did that except my abuelita! None of my friends still have physical TVs. Or cable subscriptions.” Amanda laughs.

“Some of our viewers still prefer to watch things the old-fashioned way, so we’ll put those suggestions at the beginning of the credits for them.”

“Sometimes I forget that not everyone’s a broke thirty something.”

“Broke thirty somethings _do_ do things a little differently than the rest of us, but that’s not necessarily bad. It’s just different.”

“Be the change you want to see and all that.”

“One change that you’re known for is your long-term relationship with fellow activist, Syd Parkinson. Can you tell me a little bit about them?

“You used the right pronouns!”

“I did.” Elena laughs.

“Sorry, I was just excited to hear that. Most people misgender Syd before I correct them. A lot of the time, someone will still misgender Syd even when I correct them over and over again.”

“I promise, I did my research for this.”

“That you did. Syd and I have been together since high school, and I really love them. They always make me a better person and more thoughtful activist. I wouldn’t know half of what I do about trans issues if I weren’t dating them.”

“So, you two have been dating since high school.”

“That we have.”

“Are there any plans of a wedding in the future.” Elena’s face turns bright red.

“No, I don’t think so. I love Syd, and we want to be together forever, but we’re both kind of opposed to marriage, you know? We don’t think that we need a piece of paper and a tax break to prove that we love each other.”

“That’s an interesting position to hear from a lesbian.” Elena frowns.

“What do you mean?”

“I’m sorry. I just meant- I was fourteen back when Massachusetts became the first state to legalize gay marriage. I know it’s been twenty years since Obergefell v. Hodges, but that right still seems so recent. It seems hard to imagine that you wouldn’t want to marry now that you have the right to.”

“That’s the beauty of having the choice. We have the right to get married, and we cherish that right, but marriage isn’t really right for us, you know?” Amanda nods.

“I think I understand what you mean.”

“It’s like a different issue that Syd and I’ve been working on. We’ve been working with organizations in other states to ensure adoption rights for gay couples because we value that right for other people, but we don’t really want kids.”

“One last question, Elena. Are you considering running for office at some point?” Elena frowns, then looks like she’s mulling it over.

“No is a perfectly fine answer, I just thought our viewers would like to know. Elena nods, and when she opens her mouth to speak, she looks far more confident again.

“At some point, yes, I would like to run for office. But right now, I think that I can do more good as an activist and lawyer.”

“Well, Elena, I must say. I think that you’re doing a lot of good.”

“Thank you, Amanda.”

“IS there anything else that you’d like to tell our viewers.”

“For all you baby activists out there, the word is pronounced lah-teen-ex, like it rhymes with Kleenex. Not Latin ex. It’s just the genderless version of Latino or Latina, so it should be pronounced like those words, not like your Latin ex-girlfriend.” Amanda laughs.

“Thank you for that addition, Elena.” The two fist bump. Then, in unison, they say “GIRL POWER!” Elena walks off the stage then, and as soon as she’s cleared the stage, Amanda introduces the next guest.

 

“Our next guest today is a newly promoted Captain in the NYPD. Please welcome Captain Amy Santiago!” Amy Santiago walks onto the stage. She’s obviously in her fifties from the bits of gray sneaking into her hair and the slightest wrinkles on her face, but she looks more confident than ever. She’s wearing a sharp gray blazer with a bright blue blouse underneath and gray slacks. She sits down on the chair, her back remaining stick straight and her feet planted firmly in front of her.

“Captain Santiago,” Amanda starts, but Amy does not let her finish.

“Please, call me Amy, I get to hear Captain all day at work.”

“Amy,” Amanda starts. Amy grins nervously.

“Actually, could you call me Captain one more time?" Amanda smiles indulgently.

“Captain.” Amy smiles.

“Thank you. I think I’ve got it out of my system. Now you can call me Amy.”

“Amy, is there anyone watching at home that you’d like to say hello to?” Amy laughs.

“Amanda, if I named everyone watching at home, it would take up the entire segment. So I’ll just say hi to my entire family. Every single one of you.”

“Your family’s really that big?”

“Well, there’s my parents, six brothers, eighteen nieces and nephews, all of the Nine Nine and their spouses and kids, and there’s _my_ husband, and _my_ three kids.

“You really are popular.”

“Well, I’m not exactly popular at the NYPD right now.”

“People are resistant to change, especially when it’s critical of them. And while your changes are progressive, they are critical of the NYPD.”

“We _have_ to be critical of the NYPD. If those of us who work there don’t fix these issues, they will _never_ be fixed. Black Lives Matter has been active for a little over twenty years now, and while they’ve made strides… Police brutality is still a big problem. Racially based police brutality is still a big problem. Commissioner Holt and I’ve been working to decrease that here in New York.”

“It seems like you’ve met with some success.”

“We’re just trying to increase transparency and accountability. The police are supposed to serve and protect the people. We’re just trying to move the force in a direction that reflects that.”

“That seems like such a good philosophy.”

“I’m a Latina woman married to a Jewish man.  I have a trans child. Most of my family and friends are either of color or queer, or both. The police haven’t traditionally served or protected us, and my friends and I at the NYPD are working our hardest to change that.” Amanda nods. There’s an awkward lull in the conversation, until Amanda picks up a different thread of conversation.

“I have to ask, did you know who the other guests were going to be? I realize that I didn’t actually inform you guys of that.”

“Don’t worry, I know. One of my kids is nonbinary, so they’re a big fan of Syd Parkinson. Alex has been following them and their partner Elena for a few years now. I think they were more excited about Elena being on the show tonight than about watching me.”

“You mentioned that you have three kids. Can you tell us a little about them?”

“There’s Alex of course. They’re the oldest. Then there’s my son Lance and my daughter Ruth. Lance wants to be a pilot, and Ruth’s our artist. We’re trying to get her interested in law, but she’s not really interested. At least, not right now.

“Wait, did you name your daughter after-“

“Ruth Bader Ginsburg? Of course.”

“Oh my gosh. That’s amazing. Who are your other kids named after?”

“Well, Alex named themselves after a character from a Rick Riordan novel. You know Alex Fierro?”

“Not really.”

“Well, Alex Fierro is a genderfluid character that helped my kid realize they were trans, so they decided to name themselves after her. Alex was pretty easy to change to too. It’s a common name that’s gender neutral.” Amanda nods.

“Then we named my son Lance because we both thought it sounded cool.”

“So your husband didn’t get to name any of them?”

“Well, he came up with Alex’s birth name. He named Alex after a _Die Hard_ character. I won’t tell you which one, because their dead name should stay dead, but you should know that’s exactly what kind of a nerd my husband is. He named our firstborn after a _Die Hard_ character.”

“To be fair, you named your daughter after a supreme court justice. The only person I knew who did that before you was Leslie Knope.” Amy points two thumbs at herself.

“Because that’s the kind of nerd that _I_ am.” 

“Amy Santiago, has anyone ever told you that you two are adorable?”

“My husband’s best friend, every day, for our entire relationship.”

“Is there anything that you’d like to tell our viewers before our segment ends?”

“Don’t ever settle for less than you deserve, not with relationships, not with elected officials, and not with your police department. You deserve the best and you should demand it.” Amanda smiles.

“Thank you for that, Captain Santiago.”

They fist bump and then say, “GIRL POWER!” Amy makes her way off the stage, and then Amanda announces her next guest.

 

“Our next and final guest of the day is presidential nominee Leslie Knope!” The crowd screams this time as Ms. Knope walks on stage. Her early sixties look good on her. While the wrinkles on her face have fully set in, her hair is still a bright blonde, and whether it’s natural or dyed it still gives her a more youthful look. She’s wearing a cornflower blue blouse, black slacks, and black flats. She takes her seat and sits comfortably. She looks poised and at ease.

“Ms. Knope, thank you so much for joining us today,”

“Please call me Leslie, Amanda.” Amanda nods. She looks as though she’s formulating a question. Leslie beats her to the next opportunity to speak.

“You know, Amanda, I didn’t really expect to be on a show called Girl Power in 2036.

“Why not?

“I kind of hoped that we wouldn’t need shows like this by 2036.” Amanda cracks a smile.

“Me too, Leslie. Me too. But at least you’re on your way to becoming president.” Amanda gives Leslie two thumbs up. Leslie shakes her head.

“I just secured the party nomination. That doesn’t guarantee me anything. It certainly didn’t guarantee Hillary anything.”

“I wish that weren’t true,” Amanda sighs.

“But we both know it is. I’ve been in politics long enough to know that.”

“Can you believe that? You were recalled from a city council and now you’ve spent two terms as Governor of Indiana and are the Democratic nominee for president of the United States?” Leslie smiles.

“I know, right? It sounds like one of those things that you’d hear at a motivational speech. Harry Potter was rejected by 12 publishers. Leslie Knope was recalled from the city council and now she’s a nominee for president! The world is wild, Amanda. Totally wild. You know what else is wild?”

“What?”

“My husband is the Secretary of the Treasury now. I thought that Ben was joking when he told me that President Bradbury offered him that job. The guy’s a Republican, you know.” Amanda nods sagely.

“Why would he want Ben on his Cabinet? We’re democrats. Notorious democrats.”

“Maybe it was an attempt at bipartisanship? I remember that appointment came shortly before his reelection.”

“That’s what we figured. I was kind of mad at Ben for taking the job for a while.”

“You were?”  

“Of course. It was treason, you know? Working with the Republicans. But Ben’s done really good work, and even if I don’t agree with most of Bradbury’s policies, I know that they’re well-financed. Ben knows his stuff, and he knows how to manage a budget, even a national one.”

“If you do become President, you’ll have to cross partisan lines in order to get things done. Are you prepared to do that?”

“It’s not exactly my strong suit, but I think that Ben working for the Bradbury administration has helped. I’ve had some serious conversations with the Republican leadership now and I can at least understand where they’re coming from. I’ve figured out places where I’m willing to compromise.”

“Are you thinking about appointing him as your Secretary of the Treasury.” Leslie laughs.

“Oh god no.”

“Really?”

“We learned a long time ago that things don’t go so well when we work together. I want his advice on any and all policy decisions if I’m elected, but we both decided that it would be better if he weren’t involved in the actual administration. He’s been itching to get back into Congress anyways.”

“Ooo. House again, or is he thinking Senate?” Leslie grins.

“A true politician never reveals her husband’s secrets.”

“Except that he’s considering a bid for Congress.”

“That’s not really a secret at this point. One of us is always considering a bid for something.”

“True enough. You two really know how to campaign. I saw that you’ve even been campaigning in deep red states.”

“Of course. I’m from the Midwest. People overlook us until it’s election season, and then suddenly people pretend to care. Then they only even _pretend_ to care about the swing states. But states like Kansas? Missouri? Nebraska? Those are deep red states with pretty small populations. Both nominees assume they’re going to the Republicans and call it a day, but not me. I want to do my best by everyone in this country, and I will campaign in every state in it and try to listen to as many viewpoints as possible to do it.”

“You sound really passionate about this.”

“I’m really passionate about everything.”

“That’s accurate.”

“But really. People everywhere care. People everywhere deserve to feel like their vote matters and their government cares about them. I might not agree with all of them, but I want to do my best by as many people as I can. Maybe I’ll even convince some of them that I’m right.” Amanda smiles, then she glances out of the corner of her eye.

“It looks like our time for today is almost done. Leslie, is there anything else you’d like to tell our viewers?”

“Don’t ever give up. I know that sounds cheesy, but it’s true. If I can make it here, then you can do what you set your mind to. Oh! And don’t forget to get registered to vote!”

“Aren’t you going to tell them to vote for you?” Leslie laughs.

“If I haven’t already convinced them with this interview, then I won’t convince them by asking for their vote. That’d actually make some people less likely to vote for me.”

“Like your friend Ron Swanson?”

“ _Exactly_ like my friend Ron Swanson. So don’t forget to register to vote and vote for whoever you darn well please.” Amanda laughs.

“And that’s our show for this week. Thank you so much for joining us, Leslie. Join us next week when we meet with an influential, transgender Bollywood actress and director, the journalist who brought down the leader of the Central City mob, and the owner and CEO who gave away half her fortune and changed the direction of her company entirely.”

“Oh my god, those all sound amazing.”

“Right? We only invite the best.” Leslie grins and bats playfully in Amanda’s direction.

“Oh Amanda.”

“Until next time girls, stay powerful!”

Amanda holds out her hand for a fist bump. Leslie bumps her fist. Then, in unison, they shout, “GIRL POWER!”

**Author's Note:**

> Information that did not make it into this fic but is PERTINENT to the fic  
> Schneider is the step-dad that Elena mentioned. His legal name now is Dwayne Schneider Alvarez.  
> You really think Schneider "I wanna be an Alvarez" didn't take Penelope's name? Really?  
> Amy and Jake’s legal last name is Santiago-Peralta for both of them (Jake said that they’re taking each other’s last names so this is basically canon) so their kiddos names are Alex, Lance and Ruth Santiago-Peralta.  
> Lance is actually Lance from Voltron because I have a half finished au where he's their son. If anyone's interested in that let me know I might polish it up and post it if anyone's interested.  
> Leslie DOES win the presidential race. Duh.


End file.
